'This is us': Proud mom Hoda Kotb, 54, beams with joy as she poses with her partner Joel and their two adopted daughters in the first family photo featuring newborn Hope Catherine

  • Hoda shared a picture of herself with her partner, Joel Schiffman, their two-year-old daughter, Haley, and their adopted newborn, Hope Catherine, on Easter 
  • 'This is us xo,' she captioned the image, which shows little Haley grinning from ear to ear while standing over her little sister
  • Hoda's mother, Sameha Kotb, also celebrated Easter with them on Sunday, and the journalist posted a sweet photo of her mom giving Hope a bottle
  • Earlier in the day, the proud mom posted images of Haley dying Easter eggs 
  • Hoda called into the Today show last Tuesday to announce that she had adopted a second baby girl to give Haley a sibling 
  • It is believed that Hoda and Joel brought Hope home on either Sunday, April 14, or Monday, April 15, just a day or two after she was born  
  • Hoda's co-star Jenna Bush Hager, 37, revealed on the Today show Monday she and her husband,  Henry Hager, 40, are expecting their third child, a baby boy  

Hoda Kotb has shared her first family photo since she and her partner, financier Joel Schiffman, adopted their newborn daughter Hope Catherine. 

The 54-year-old Today anchor took to Instagram on Easter Sunday to share a heartwarming photo of herself posing with Joel, who is feeding Hope, and their two-year-old daughter, Haley Joy.

'This is us xo,' Hoda captioned the image, which shows little Haley grinning from ear to ear while standing over her little sister.  

First family photo: Hoda Kotb, 54, shared a picture of herself with her partner, Joel Schiffman, their two-year-old daughter, Haley, and their adopted newborn, Hope Catherine, on Easter

First family photo: Hoda Kotb, 54, shared a picture of herself with her partner, Joel Schiffman, their two-year-old daughter, Haley, and their adopted newborn, Hope Catherine, on Easter 

'This makes me so happy': Hoda's mother, Sameha Kotb, also celebrated Easter with them on Sunday, and the journalist posted a sweet photo of her mom giving Hope a bottle

'This makes me so happy': Hoda's mother, Sameha Kotb, also celebrated Easter with them on Sunday, and the journalist posted a sweet photo of her mom giving Hope a bottle

Hoda and Joel are also smiling for the camera in the picture, which is the first family photo the proud mother-of-two has shared since revealing that they had adopted a second child last week. 

Hoda's mother, Sameha Kotb, also celebrated Easter with them on Sunday, and the journalist posted a sweet photo of her mom giving Hope a bottle.  

'This makes me so happy... my mom filled with Hope,' she wrote. 

Earlier in the day, Hoda wished her 1.2 million Instagram followers 'Happy Easter' by sharing adorable photos of Haley dying eggs in preparation for the holiday.

In the first photo, Hoda is holding up an Easter egg that was dyed pink while Haley is pointing to a cup filled with blue dye, presumably telling her mom to put the egg in there next. 

Haley, who turned two years old on Valentine's Day, is wearing a pink Sesame Street T-shirt and a bow in her dark hair. 

The second photo shows Haley watching her dad intently as he dyes an egg red. 

Too cute: Earlier in the day, the proud mom posted images of Haley dying Easter eggs

Too cute: Earlier in the day, the proud mom posted images of Haley dying Easter eggs

Supervising: One sweet photo shows Haley watching her dad intently as he dyes an egg red

Supervising: One sweet photo shows Haley watching her dad intently as he dyes an egg red

Hoda surprised her Today co-hosts last Tuesday when she called into the show to announce that she had adopted a second child. 

'It's a girl!' she tearfully announced to Savannah Guthrie, Dylan Dreyer, Jenna Bush Hager, A Rokerl, Sheinelle Jones, and Willie Geist, before adding: 'And her name is Hope Catherine.'

Hoda's news prompted a round of applause from her Today colleagues, with Dylan tearing up, exclaiming: 'Hoda congratulations, I am so happy for you,' while Al simply said, 'Oh wow!'   

Jenna, who joined Hoda as her official co-host for the fourth hour of the show only a week before, was reduced to tears as she asked her friend: 'Hoda, how is life with two?'

'Oh my God, you guys. Well, first of all, she's laying on the pillow right now, and I'm feeding her, and I can't believe it!' a delighted Hoda told her co-hosts, while Savannah and Jenna dabbed their eyes with tissues.   

'In your life you think that maybe you've gotten what you deserve, but man I'm so happy she's here,' Hoda continued through her tears.  

The new mother-of-two continued to say that her eldest daughter, Haley, couldn't be more excited to have a little sister, revealing that the two-year-old has already happily embraced her role as a big sibling. 

Surprise! Hoda joyfully revealed last Tuesday that she has adopted a second daughter, baby Hope Catherine, to give her eldest daughter, Haley Joy, a sister

Surprise! Hoda joyfully revealed last Tuesday that she has adopted a second daughter, baby Hope Catherine, to give her eldest daughter, Haley Joy, a sister 

Thrilled: The Today co-anchor shared sweet images of herself and Haley Joy at home with their new arrival, revealing her eldest is thrilled to be a big sister

Thrilled: The Today co-anchor shared sweet images of herself and Haley Joy at home with their new arrival, revealing her eldest is thrilled to be a big sister

'Haley is digging it,' she said. 'This morning at breakfast, she was trying to feed [Hope] her raspberries, and I was like, "Not yet babe!"

'She was literally marching around saying, "I'm a big sister!" I mean ... she did try to crawl into her bassinet, but it's so much fun, you guys.'  

Hoda went on to describe the heartwarming moment that Haley met her newborn sister for the very first time while sharing the emotional meaning behind her baby girl's name. 

'We had Haley downstairs and Joel and I said, "Wait, we have a present. We have a present!" and we went upstairs and we came down holding her. And we had been telling [Haley], "Baby Hope is coming," and she literally walked up to her and said, "Hope!"

'It was one of those moments,' Hoda continued. 'First of all, I can't imagine any of this is happening. I feel like I'm going to wake up and God is going to say, "Remember how you were before all of this? That's literally the way it is." 

'You hope, you pray, and you dream about things, and we thought about Hope.' 

The big reveal: Hoda called into the Today show on Tuesday to share the happy news with her co-anchors — many of whom were completely stunned by the announcement

The big reveal: Hoda called into the Today show on Tuesday to share the happy news with her co-anchors — many of whom were completely stunned by the announcement

Clue: Unbeknownst to her social media followers, Hoda actually posted a sneaky hint about her new arrival on Monday, when she shared this photo quote that read, 'Choose Hope'

Clue: Unbeknownst to her social media followers, Hoda actually posted a sneaky hint about her new arrival on Monday, when she shared this photo quote that read, 'Choose Hope'

Giving nothing away: She gave no indication what the post was about, simply captioning it, 'Happy Monday xx,' although she was absent from the Today show that day

Giving nothing away: She gave no indication what the post was about, simply captioning it, 'Happy Monday xx,' although she was absent from the Today show that day

When it came to choosing Hope's middle name, Hoda revealed that the decision was made not long before their little girl arrived. 

She shared that she gave her daughter the name Catherine in honor of her best friend Karen Swensen's own daughter, as a tribute to the strength she displayed after her father, Karen's husband, died. 

Karen, who is a news anchor for WWL-TV in Hoda's hometown of New Orleans, lost her husband, retired homicide detective John Ronquillo, to cancer in September 2018. 

'We named her middle name Catherine after my best friend Karen's daughter,' she explained. 

'[Karen's] husband passed a little while ago, and Catherine is so super strong, and it just so happens she was here this weekend with Karen, and I was like, there are no accidents in life, everything is supposed to happen in this moment the way it's happening. 

'So: Hope Catherine Kotb.'  

It appears that the idea for the sweet tribute came when Karen and Catherine were visiting Hoda and her family earlier this month for a belated celebration in honor Karen's 50th birthday. 

Heartfelt: Hoda revealed her newborn daughter's middle name is a tribute to her best friend Karen's own daughter Catherine, who visited the Today anchor with her mom this weekend

Heartfelt: Hoda revealed her newborn daughter's middle name is a tribute to her best friend Karen's own daughter Catherine, who visited the Today anchor with her mom this weekend

Meaningful: New Orleans-based anchor Karen Swensen lost her husband to cancer last year, and Hoda wanted to celebrate her daughter Catherine's strength after her father's death
Meaningful: New Orleans-based anchor Karen Swensen lost her husband to cancer last year, and Hoda wanted to celebrate her daughter Catherine's strength after her father's death

Meaningful: New Orleans-based anchor Karen Swensen lost her husband to cancer last year, and Hoda wanted to celebrate her daughter Catherine's strength after her father's death

Meaningful: New Orleans-based anchor Karen Swensen lost her husband to cancer last year, and Hoda wanted to celebrate her daughter Catherine's strength after her father's death
Meaningful: New Orleans-based anchor Karen Swensen lost her husband to cancer last year, and Hoda wanted to celebrate her daughter Catherine's strength after her father's death

Meaningful: New Orleans-based anchor Karen Swensen lost her husband to cancer last year, and Hoda wanted to celebrate her daughter Catherine's strength after her father's death

The New Orleans-based anchor shared images of herself and her daughter enjoying cupcakes with Haley and Hoda in their apartment, along with sweet snaps of Catherine reading a book to a delighted Haley.

Savannah 47, and Jenna, 37,  couldn't wait to meet baby Hope, and they admitted that they showed up at Hoda's home right after she introduced the newest addition to her family.   

The Today show stars revealed on Wednesday morning's show that they raced over to Hoda's home after work on Tuesday to meet little Hope. 

The special visit took place just hours after Hoda announced that she had adopted a second baby girl to give Haley a sister. 

'Jenna and I went right over right after the show. I don't even know if we were invited, but we went in and we saw the baby, Savannah, 47, said. 'She's adorable. Hoda is doing great and is just so happy and pleased. It's really wonderful.' 

Savannah filled in for her co-star on Wednesday's Today with Hoda & Jenna, and during the fourth hour of the show, they discussed their visit with the mother-of-two. 

'We wanted to see baby Hope,' she said, while Jenna noted that Hoda's eldest daughter, Haley, 'was so in awe of her baby sister.' 

All smiles: Savannah Guthrie, 47, and Jenna Bush Hager, 37, met baby Hope last Tuesday, just hours after Hoda, 54, had announced that she had adopted a second child

All smiles: Savannah Guthrie, 47, and Jenna Bush Hager, 37, met baby Hope last Tuesday, just hours after Hoda, 54, had announced that she had adopted a second child

Joyful news! Less than a week later, Jenna announced on the Today show Monday morning that she is pregnant with her third child, a baby boy

Joyful news! Less than a week later, Jenna announced on the Today show Monday morning that she is pregnant with her third child, a baby boy 

Expanding family: The 37-year-old already has two daughters, Mila, five, and Poppy, three, with her husband, Henry Hager, 40

Expanding family: The 37-year-old already has two daughters, Mila, five, and Poppy, three, with her husband, Henry Hager, 40

'It was the cutest thing I've ever seen,' she gushed, and Savannah agreed, explaining that every time they talk about Hope and Haley she gets 'chills.' 

'Haley was so sweet. She couldn't love her baby sister more,' she added. 'She literally gets under Hope's bassinet because she wants to be close to her.'

'The fact that they wanted to be so close to each other,' Jenna added. 'This is what Hoda's prayed for. And she actually has prayed for a baby sister for Haley because she and her sister are so close.' 

Less than a week later, Jenna announced on the Today show that she is pregnant with her third child, a baby boy. She has two daughters, Mila, five, and Poppy, three, with her husband, Henry Hager. 

Jenna clearly has babies on the brain, and while she and Savannah didn't waste any time meeting the newborn, their co-star Al waited a few days before stopping by Hoda's home to see baby Hope. 

The 64-year-old weather anchor took to Instagram on Thursday to share precious photos of himself holding baby Hope and reading to Haley. 

In the first image, Al is smiling for the camera while holding baby Hope in his arms. Hoda and her mother, Sameha Kotb, are also grinning from ear to ear in the image. 

Al, who is a father-of-two himself, is laughing in the second photo, which shows Hoda holding little Haley as he cradles Hope. 

Newest addition: Al Roker was all smiles when he met Hoda Kotb's daughter Hope Catherine on Thursday. He happily held the baby while posing with Hoda and her mom, Sameha

Newest addition: Al Roker was all smiles when he met Hoda Kotb's daughter Hope Catherine on Thursday. He happily held the baby while posing with Hoda and her mom, Sameha

Happy moment: The 64-year-old weather anchor was grinning from ear to ear while taking another photo with Hoda and her two daughters

Happy moment: The 64-year-old weather anchor was grinning from ear to ear while taking another photo with Hoda and her two daughters 

Aww! Al also shared a photo of himself reading the Sesame Street book 'P is for Potty' to two-year-old Haley, who is happily sitting on his lap

Aww! Al also shared a photo of himself reading the Sesame Street book 'P is for Potty' to two-year-old Haley, who is happily sitting on his lap

It also looked like he took some time to help Hoda with potty training. In the third snapshot, he has Haley on his lap while reading her the Sesame Street book 'P is for Potty.'   

'So much #happiness spending time with @hodakotb, Grandma Sami and the reason I can’t stop smiling, Big Sister Haley Joy and the newest addition to #TeamHodaandJoel Hope Catherine,' Al captioned the heartwarming images.

Although Hoda had kept incredibly tight-lipped about her sweet new arrival, it turns out she did post a hint on her social media accounts on Monday — during an absence from the Today show — in the form of a picture quote that simply said, 'Choose Hope.' 

Hoda shared the image of her Twitter and Instagram accounts shortly before 6 a.m. on Monday, captioning it with: 'Happy Monday xx.'  

And while at the time, the quote might have seemed like nothing more than a motivational message from the long-time TV anchor, it turns out there was far more meaning to the post.  

The Today anchor revealed in February 2017 that she had adopted Haley Joy, and the little girl has been the light of her life ever since. 

Hoda, who was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 42 years old, came out of treatment unable to conceive and believed for a long time that motherhood just wasn't in the cards for her. 

When she told Joel that she wanted to pursue adoption a few years ago, he was immediately on board, which moved her to tears. 

'I am lucky that I have an incredible life partner who was so supportive and so open to it,' Hoda told DailyMail.com last year. 

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Hoda Kotb shares first family photo featuring newborn Hope Catherine

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